Give your favorite car nut more smiles per mile with these gift ideas

Kris Palmer’s Hot Wheels: From 0 to 50 at 1:64 scale (Motorbooks) is an engaging holiday read, whether you’re a nostalgic Hot Wheels owner or interested in how great ideas are hatched and executed into a hit seller. (Motorbooks photo)

Kris Palmer’s Hot Wheels: From 0 to 50 at 1:64 scale (Motorbooks) is an engaging holiday read, whether you’re a nostalgic Hot Wheels owner or interested in how great ideas are hatched and executed into a

Kris Palmer’s Hot Wheels: From 0 to 50 at 1:64 scale (Motorbooks) is an engaging holiday read, whether you’re a nostalgic Hot Wheels owner or interested in how great ideas are hatched and executed into a hit seller. (Motorbooks photo)

Kris Palmer’s Hot Wheels: From 0 to 50 at 1:64 scale (Motorbooks) is an engaging holiday read, whether you’re a nostalgic Hot Wheels owner or interested in how great ideas are hatched and executed into a

Tis the season to conjure up a list of gift options for that favorite car or truck enthusiast? Here are some goodies — from practical to esoteric — to jump-start your search.

The camera doesn’t blink

How about the gift of peace of mind?

Dash cams can keep an eye on things and save drivers a lot of grief, time and expense if trouble comes knocking — like those insurance scammers who deliberately amble into a fender and place the blame on the driver. Or that valet or service technician who drive recklessly when you’re not looking.

That’s where the Garmin 65W dash cam’s semi-fisheye lens and 180 degree coverage can come to the rescue. For such a compact gadget (2.25 x 1.25 x 0.625 in.), the unobtrusive 65W packs an impressive bag of tricks, including Garmin’s Travelapse mode that shrinks hours of driving into a “highlight reel,” a G sensor that will detect an incident and save footage at the moment of impact as well as just before and after, and voice-recognition that lets the driver operate key functions with spoken commands. It can even warn drivers when they stray outside a lane or a forward collision could be imminent.

The 65W’s Wi-Fi can sync videos to compatible smartphones with Garmin’s free app. The date, time, speed and location data are embedded in the video, which is 1080P at 30 fps and very clear. Garmin throws in 8GB class 10 micro SD memory card, power cable and magnetic mounting hardware. ($229, Amazon)

Modernize with aftermarket car stereo

Have a friend or loved one who drives an older vehicle but wishes it had modern conveniences like Bluetooth hands-free calling, voice recognition or Android Auto or Apple CarPlay?

An aftermarket stereo like Pioneer’s AVH-W4400NEX can bring a car up to date with a one-stop solution. To start with, the unit provides smartphone integration, HD Radio, a high-resolution customizable, 7-inch display, a removable faceplate and provisions for two of Pioneer’s compact ND-BC8 cameras so the driver can run both front- and rear-facing cameras

It’s a hard-working component that runs Android or Car Play either with or without cables, sports a 13-band graphic equalizer and plays CDs, DVDs, SD cards or USB thumb drives. A SiriusXM satellite radio tuner is optional. With the right adapter, the steering-wheel audio controls on most cars can be retained.

The true story of Hot Wheels

Mattel’s Hot Wheels changed the world of die-cast toy cars when those first “Sweet 16” cars debuted 50 years ago. The little Hot Wheels cars were bold, nicely detailed, customized and, above all, fast, thanks to the cars’ tricked-out, low-friction axles and wheels and wide tires made of hard plastic.

Kris Palmer’s “Hot Wheels: From 0 to 50 at 1:64 scale” (Motorbooks) is an engaging holiday read, whether you’re a nostalgic Hot Wheels owner or interested in how great ideas are hatched and executed into a hit seller. The 160-page book contains cool patent application illustrations and drafting. The casual observer may be surprised at how engineers and designers solved production problems and scaled up to meet the relentless demand. The book comes in a cute protective case. $25, Amazon.

Serious seating

Recaro’s new Sportster GT seat is one high-end upgrade that feels as good as it looks. With its belt pass-through slots and aggressive bolstering, the adjustable, flip-back Sportster GT may look like a racing seat, but it’s not; Recaro said the seat utilizes a new foam material that provides support as well as comfort for longer trips. The stylish seat incorporates a metal base with a thin, reinforced polymer-based backrest to keep weight in check and preserve interior space.

The Sportster GT has an integrated headrest, lumbar support and an S-shaped backrest for optimal spine comfort. The seats are available in black cloth, red, blue or gray suede and a premium leather and carbon-weave fabric. Recaro said the seat can be used in a variety of vehicles from sedans to SUVs. Starts at $1,299, Recaro-automotive.com.

Mustang tribute watches

Recycling meets Mustang mania in REC’s P-51 watch collection. REC said it creates its watch dials from classic, salvaged Mustangs, and claims no two dials are identical.

Our pick would have to be the P-51-03, a 44mm self-winder with a gold bezel and black stainless-steel case. In addition to incorporating styling cues from vintage Mustangs, all three models in the P-51 line come with a “story card” that takes the owner to a video about its namesake pony car, the Ford Mustang.

The sapphire watch crystal has anti-reflective coating while the black leather strap is 24mm wide and incorporates a quick-release mechanism. $1,495, www.recwatches.com/collections/p51.

Just the ticket for detailing

There’s nothing quite as “off” as walking up to a vehicle that has an immaculate exterior but opening the door reveals debris-strewn carpeting or upholstery. Between dirt, dust, pet hairs and lint, it’s a constant challenge to keep a car’s cabin in tip-top shape.

That’s where the user-friendly Mighty 500 Watt vacuum and blower from Griot’s Garage comes in handy. It runs on 120-volt AC like a household vacuum so it’s got big-boy suction. Shaped like a classic vacuum bottle, the black, corded vacuum weighs about 3.25 pounds, and comes in at just under 17 inches long and 5 inches in diameter.

Which makes it a cinch to tote and maneuver, whether you leave it outside the car or bring it inside. It comes complete with a 39-inch hose, 20-inch extension wand, crevice tool, upholstery nozzle, air inflator adapter, dust brush and a pack of filters. Hint: the blower can be handy for drying the car or blowing out the leaves and other detritus that wind up in the cowl area. $120, Griotsgarage.com.

Kicks on or off of Route 66

How about some sharp new shoes for that favorite Land Rover lover?

Land Rover, known for its vehicles’ go-anywhere scrappiness, has partnered with another well-known British brand, Clarks shoes, to create a new line of Clarks sports shoes and boots. As with tires, each shoe’s tread design is optimized for its intended usage. I like the CLR 51.N Gore-Tex sneakers because they’re light, have breathable construction and are waterproof.

Eagle-eyed fans watch which sneakers NBA elites, actors, musicians or models are rocking, so it should be interesting to see how much traction the Clarks/Land Rover tie-up generates. $200, Clarksusa.com.